Vegetable Tortellini Soup

Since we bought a lot of fresh vegetables this week, I wanted to incorporate some in a light but warming soup.  This soup was also super fast to put together after hitting the gym after work.  I chose a small soup bowl for myself, and an even smaller soup bowl for my boyfriend.

Chicken broth with oregano, green beans, carrots, onion, cabbage, arugula, tomato, mushroom and fresh pesto tortellini. 

In an attempt at moderation, I divide the tortellini into 2 soup bowls and 3 small storage containers.  The packaging said it contained 2-3 servings.  Maybe I'm a glutton, but I have definitely eaten a whole package with sauce by myself.

Slushy Snow Storm + Rush Hour = Madness

I think I was too complacent about Wednesday's storm forecast. Unfortunately multiple factors combined to create a massive headache as people struggled to make it home from work.  Fortunately we had taken metro to work so we were not stuck in traffic for hours.  The only hiccup was the shuttle had stopped running, so we were forced to walk through the slushy snow.  Would have been much better in proper snow boots, but I was woefully unprepared.  

 

 We made it home safely together.  After a hot chocolate and a hot bath, it was time to decide what to eat.  I like having a package of frozen seafood, frozen shrimp or frozen fish from Trader Joe's in the freezer for times like this.  Some onion, mushroom, celery and carrot along with the seafood mix helped make a robust pasta fra diavolo.

Picked up a bottle of single malt scotch this week in recognition of Burn's Day.  The owner of the liquor store on 32nd and M Street recommended Tomintoul as an alternative to Macallan 10.  Very smooth and perfect for sipping while watching a little HGTV and relaxing during the storm.

Maggiano's Tyson Corner

One night in Orlando, we tried to go to Maggiano's http://www.maggianos.com/ because my boyfriend had a craving for linguine with clam sauce.  We wandered in the crowded door at 9 pm and the brusque hostess said the wait was 2 hours.  We ended up going somewhere else down the street.  I feel like very few places are worth waiting that long for a table.  Friday we ended up driving to Tyson's to the nearest Maggiano's for a late dinner.  We were seated quickly, and the host even called me ma'am.  sigh.

 We started off with calamari and a small caesar salad.  I ordered the linguine with white clam sauce and the pasta was overcooked. 

My boyfriend chose the Classic Pasta Angel Hair with Sausage.  A surprising special was the inclusion of a choice of Classic Pasta to take home with you when you order from the Classic Pasta list.  When the pasta feeds two easily, it's a pretty good deal for the price.  Carmine's tastes better for family-style Italian-American, but pricewise, Maggiano's is a solid contender.

Carrabbas in Ft Myers

Our final night in Ft. Myers, we went to Carrabba's Italian Grill with my parents.  It's owned by the same group as Bonefish, but we all liked Carrabba's better.  We called ahead to put our name on the wait list, so our wait was not too long. http://www.carrabbas.com/ The portions are large, and all entrees come with your choice of soup or salad. 

We started off with the Cozze in Bianco.  Nice and plump PEI mussels steamed in garlic, white wine, basil and lemon butter.  (Full or half sizes available.)

Lobster Ravioli in a white wine cream sauce.

Linguine Pescatore - mussels, sea scallops and shrimp in a spicy marinara.

"The Johnny" - Sirloin marsala and Chicken Bryan (chicken topped with sundried tomato, goat cheese and lemon basil butter).

Crab cake with sirloin and sauteed spinach.

Vapiano in DC

One of the nicest results of moving the office is now working closer to my boyfriend.  In between our office buildings, is one of his favorite fast-casual places.  http://www.vapianointernational.com/vapiano/cms/ We tried to go there once this summer for lunch, but 12-1 pm is definitely a time to avoid as the lunch crowd creates bottlenecks at the various stations.  Yesterday we went a bit later, and it was much quieter.  The card system makes this an easy way to pick different things from the pasta, pizza, panini and salad stations. 

Spicy Sausage and roasted vegetables with papparadelle ($11.95). 

 Pomodoro and arugula with spaghetti.  ($9.95)

Arugula Salad with sliced mushrooms, parmesan cheese and zucchini ($7.95)

***

The pastas were cooked al dente and the sauces were well-made.  I like that you can choose which type of pasta you'd like with the sauce of your choice.  It was all fresh and nice to share lunch together with my boyfriend.  It's not a super fast lunch excursion, and I could see how navigating the place when it's busier would detract from the experience.  Luckily, they'll place your order in take-out containers if you prefer to eat in your office. 

Bistro La Bonne

I love mussels.  Steamed in some traditional concoction with crispy frites on the side, add a cold beer or white wine and some crusty bread to sop up the savory broth and I'm a happy girl.  I finally made it to Bistro La Bonne on U Street after months of intending to try it out.  http://www.bistrolabonne.com/  After a hectic day, it was the perfect place to pull up a stool and catch up with a friend.

 Moules Mariniere - white wine, shallots, parsley and garlic ($15.95)

 Crispy frites.

Pasta with bolognese sauce. 

***

The chef and owner comes from Bistrot du Coin, the Dupont establishment that marries French bistro fare with a lively atmosphere.  BLB has a nice relaxed atmosphere, and some of my French favorites.  Their Monday night special included a glass of wine or a beer with the moules et frites for $15.  The mussels were plump and delicious, and the sauvingnon blanc was a nice accompaniment.   Can't wait to go back and try some other dishes.

Today's Bento

Persian cucumbers (much smaller and crunchy) with miso paste, tangerine, cavatappi pasta in tomato sauce and lighter eggplant parmesan.  The eggplant was coated in a flour, egg wash and panko mixture, then baked for 40 minutes at 350F instead of panfried in oil.  It takes a bit longer, but the crunchy texture from the panko was nice.  With a little tomato sauce topped with mozzarella and grated parmesan cheese between each layer, I assembled the eggplant stacks and baked for another 30 minutes.  A lighter, meat-free lunch.

Pesce Restaurant in Dupont

For an office dinner, we headed to Pesce in Dupont Circle.  http://www.pescedc.com/home.html It used to be located further down P Street a few storefronts.  Now it is in the space vacated by Montsouris and Johnny's Half Shell.  With a name like Pesce you expect and the restaurant delivers some lovely dishes based on things from the sea. 

 The Menu.

The restaurant eschews printed menus in favor of a blackboard listing appetizers in white and entrees in red.

 Carpaccio ($12)

Tuna, salmon and flounder with frisee and lemon oil.  Very light and lovely.

 Steamed PEI Mussels in white wine sauce ($9)

While the bread basket's baguette slices were a bit hard, they was perfect for dipping in this broth.

 Crabcake with greens ($14)

Baked crabcake with a nice composition of beet greens and onions.  The weakest of the 3 appetizers.

 Salmon with haricot vert and mashed potatoes ($22)

Grilled to medium rare. 

Penne with tuna, chorizo, black olive and tomato sauce ($20)

The chorizo gave this a nice spicy kick.

Spaghetti with shrimp, broccoli, tomato, corn and a white wine sauce.  ($20)

***

It's a casual neighborhood restaurant with some lovely seafood dishes.  It can get loud, but works well as a date place, office dinner, or a nice meal out with the ladies. 

Carmine's in DC

I had heard that the famous NYC restaurant, Carmine's, had opened a DC-outpost.  Early reviews included favorable comments.  It's family-style Italian, with portions so large you should go with a group to enjoy as many different dishes as possible.  http://www.carminesnyc.com/ Definitely a few steps above Buca di Beppo and Maggiano's.  7 of us went to an early dinner Saturday night for some pre-race carbo-loading.

Located at 425 7th Street NW, between D and E Streets. 

This immense 700-seat restaurant is across from the Shakespeare Theatre Company's Lansburgh Theatre. 

Mixed Green Slaad ($18.50)

Stuffed Mushrooms ($14.50). 

We should have asked, but these were stuffed with a savory pork sausage.

Linguini with white clam sauce ($23.50)

The clams were plump and the sauce was not too salty, this was my favorite pasta.

Penne alla Vodka ($23.50)
Robust tomato, vodka and cream sauce with chunks of tomato, basil and garlic. 

Spaghetti and Meatballs ($23.50)

The meatballs were the size of tennis balls.  Made with a mixture of beef and veal, they're dense and flavorful.

The Titanic ($19.50). 

A colossal dessert made with a flourless chocolate cake base, scoops of ice cream, bananas, strawberries, nuts and whipped cream.  A smaller version, called the Tugboat, is also available.

Tiramisu ($16.50)

Nicely flavored, this gorgeous dessert could easily serve 8-10 people. 

Call me Odd, but I thought the beautiful bathroom deserved a photo too.

***

The service was very nice and patient as we debated which dishes to try.  I couldn't help but watch the massive platters delivered to other tables and wonder how two people could dine here without boxes of leftovers for days.  Everything we tried was very good.  I'd like to return to try a few different dishes with a large group again.  In the one hiccup of the night, our server and her manager acted swifty and professionally.

When Vapiano's lines are too long during lunch time...

Sometimes you have to go down the street to another Italian place. http://www.famousluigis.com/

It's a traditional red and white checkered tablecloth Italian-American restaurant on 19th Street NW between M and L Streets. It's not fancy, but the servers are pleasant and the food is abundant for the price.

Insalata Caprese $6.95. Lovely mozzarella cheese, the tomato could have been a tad riper.

Pizza for two with mushrooms and Greek olives $13. (half portion shown )

A pretty decent size for a 2-person pizza.

Linguine alla luciana - squid in a spicy tomato sauce $13.25

The Big Night

Ok... we weren't crazy enough to make a timpano, but we did think that we'd have a forking good time trying to make some gnocchi. Handmade gnocchi in August in DC...what were we thinking? It was a mini-fail but we had plenty of other delicious things for the joint birthday-bon voyage party.

Crostini two-ways: fresh fig with gorgonzola and honey, and artichoke tapenade

Wild mushroom and bechamel lasagna. This was my experiment in creating a meatless, red sauce-less lasagna.

Insalata caprese

Cantaloupe melon wrapped in prosciutto with fresh mint

Orange, olive and red onion salad

Fresh peaches with mint and onion

Setting up the table

Baked and Wired cupcakes in assorted flavors

The full table

Assorted salads, crostini and lasagna

Antipasti platters with salumi, roasted peppers, eggs and tomatoes; grapes, cheeses and olives

Why doesn't DC have a real NY-style pizza place?

I grew up in a small town in upstate New York. We had tons of pizza places and no matter where you ordered from the pizza was good. Thin crust with a nice sauce, gooey cheese and whatever toppings you liked. Nothing fancy, but solid NY-style. While the DC area has many great ethnic restaurants, it sorely lacks a good NY-style pizza place. The Neopolitan style pies at 2Amys or Pizzeria Paradiso and the New Haven style at Pete's are fine, but I still miss the pies from Little Italy.

(One of the best things I ate in Las Vegas was a slice of plain cheese at New York New York. It tasted like home.)

***

Searching for a decent pie and a little taste of nostalgia, I tried a place my better half enjoys, Valentino's in Alexandria http://valentinosnystylepizzeria.com/.

The garlic knots ($2.75) were good and the marinara sauce had a nice, robust flavor.

Nice light olive salad ($8.95). Shrimp Fra Diavolo with fettucini ($15.95). The sauce could be a little spicier, but the pasta and shrimp were good.Tomato sauce, cheese, mushrooms and fresh garlic pie (Small = 14 inches $16.95).

***

Valentino's is a nice little family place you'd take your kids after a soccer game, or when you want a giant pizza and some Italian-American favorites. It's not quite Little Italy or Ianelli's, but it was a satisfying pie and I'd gladly go back to try a few others.